Delight family and friends with Chef Tom's recipe for Twice Baked Potato Casserole! This delicious holiday dish is easy to make with the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill, and is always a crowd favorite!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Roasting the garlic whole in foil alongside everything else: Wrapping the trimmed head in foil with olive oil and roasting it while the potatoes and bacon cook lets the cloves turn soft and sweet without any extra hands-on step, since it all happens on the same grill at the same time.
- Mashing in a portion of the bacon and green onions before baking: Folding half the bacon and green onions directly into the potato mixture builds their flavor through the whole casserole, saving the rest to layer on top fresh after baking for a second burst of flavor and texture.
- Reserving and crisping the potato skins in bacon grease: Chopping a handful of skins and frying them in the rendered bacon fat turns what's often discarded into a crunchy, flavorful garnish tied back to the rest of the dish.
- Building the topping in layers after baking: Adding the remaining bacon, green onions, crisped skins, and a drizzle of sour cream only after the casserole comes out of the oven keeps those elements fresh and distinct, rather than baking them down into the filling.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
18
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Calories
442
Everyone loves a twice baked potato, and with the holiday season upon us, a casserole is the perfect way to feed a small crowd! Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for his Twice Baked Potato Casserole!
Ingredients
- 1 lb classic cut bacon
- 5 lb russet potatoes
-
extra virgin olive oil
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 head garlic
- 1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
- 1 cup white cheddar, grated
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup green onions, green parts only, diced
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 425ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and coat in a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil and season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning. Transfer the sheet pan to the main cooking grate. Roast until tender when pierced with a toothpick or knife, about 60-75 minutes.
- Place the bacon on a wire rack over a foil lined sheet pan. Place on the second shelf of the grill and cook until crisp, about 45 minutes. Remove from the rack and dice or crumble.
Trim the tip of the head of garlic (opposite the roots) to expose the cloves. Place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Wrap tight in the foil and transfer to the grill. Cook until the cloves are tender, about 45 minutes.
- While the potatoes are still warm, scoop out the flesh. Place in a pan. Chop a handful of the skins and reserve for later.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their paper and add to the flesh of the potatoes along with the sour cream, butter, white cheddar, milk, half of the bacon and half of the green onions. Add about two tablespoons Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning. Mash with a handheld potato masher to desire consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, as needed.
- Spray a Lodge Cast Iron Casserole Dish (or 9x13 baking dish) with Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat. Transfer the potato mixture to the dish and level the top. Sprinkle the sharp cheddar evenly over the top.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top, about one hour.
- While the Twice Baked Potato Casserole cooks, take a couple of tablespoons of the bacon grease from the foil lined pan and warm in a small skillet. Add the handful of diced potato skins and cook until crispy.
- Serve the Twice Baked Potato Casserole topped with the remaining remaining green onions and bacon, as well as the crisped potato skins and a drizzle of sour cream.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why roast the garlic whole in foil instead of mincing it fresh?
Wrapping the trimmed head in foil with olive oil and roasting it alongside the potatoes and bacon turns the cloves soft, sweet, and easy to squeeze out, all without adding any extra hands-on step to the process.
Why mash in only half the bacon and green onions instead of all of it?
Folding half into the potato mixture builds their flavor through the whole casserole. Saving the rest to add fresh on top after baking gives a second layer of flavor and crisp texture that mixing it all in beforehand wouldn't provide.
Why save and crisp the potato skins instead of discarding them?
Chopping a handful of skins and frying them in the rendered bacon fat turns what's often thrown away into a crunchy, flavorful garnish that ties back to the rest of the dish.
Why add the remaining toppings after the casserole bakes instead of before?
Adding the reserved bacon, green onions, crisped skins, and sour cream once the casserole is out of the oven keeps those elements fresh and distinct, instead of baking them down into the filling and losing their texture.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — every step here works exactly the same in a regular oven and stovetop; the pellet grill is only being used as an outdoor oven, not for smoke or char.
Recipe Highlights
Foil-roasted garlic: Cooks hands-free alongside the rest of the ingredients.
Split bacon and onions: Half mixed in, half saved for a fresh finishing layer.
Crisped potato skins: Turns a byproduct into a crunchy garnish.
Post-bake toppings: Keeps garnishes fresh instead of baked into the filling.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 7.42 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 442
- Carbs
- 22 grams
- Protein
- 13 grams
- Fat
- 34 grams
- Sodium
- 2522 milligrams
